Saturday, May 30, 2009

I have arrived in Middletown, VA, the scene of my next crime. Though it's only a quick 90 minutes from Capitol Hill, it's a world away. The town has only one stoplight, and Wayside Theatre is apparently its biggest business. There is a definite small-town feel to the place; just take a look at all the flags which appeared this weekend, lining Main Street about 20 feet apart. There is no parade planned or anything, the town just puts up flags for every national holiday.

My digs couldn't be nicer, a rustic cabin in the hills of neighboring Strasburg. Well, it's actually a guest cottage on the expansive lot of one of the benefactors of the theatre. It's secluded from the street (and from the outside world) by several acres of woods.

From the outside, it doesn't look like much, but inside, it's a terrific bungalow with huge kitchen (about the size of my bedroom at home), and a great room with homey furniture and, um, interesting touches. (Note the Christmas tree in the corner, and the ladder going nowhere.) I currently sit at the desk placed against a window, through which I can see a rabbit hopping by. The sleeping chamber is a loft above the living area, reached by one of those staircases which is so steep, it's almost a ladder. Really, despite it's surroundings, the place isn't all that rustic (how could it be with a full kitchen, including microwave and laundry facilities?)

There is one thing both towns of Strasburg and Middletown lack: a Starbucks. Hard to believe there is a place in this country without one. Call Ripley's. I am not a coffee drinker, so I never go into such places, but I wouldn't mind one here, as where there is a Starbucks, there usually follows Internet. Here at the cabin, the previous tenant (the lovely and talented Larry) took his Internet Access with him when he left (though his guitars are still here. Wonder what they might fetch on EBay...) I had no idea how addicted I was to the Web, but now that access is gone, I have realized that I spend A LOT of time out there in cyberspace. These days, I can only get online at the theatre, so I'm going through a bit of withdrawal.

It's a quiet period for me. There is no television service out here, though the owners of the cabin offered to reinstate it for me. It did not seem worth the effort or the money, so I declined their kind offer. The television has a working DVD/VCR player, which will suffice for me. (I confessed a while ago that I am slogging my way through all four years of Dark Shadows; I'm currently up to the period where the vampire goes back in time to prevent the ghost from becoming a werewolf...this show is seriously disturbed...)

Well, the lack of entertainment options out here should be a good thing. There is nothing to distract me from the task at hand, conquering this monster show. Stay tuned.